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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · bass · straw · chip · game · key · ground · foot

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. game — a match
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. foot — a measure
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chip — for betting
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com